Game of table or parlor cricket.



No. 728,187. PATENTED MAY 19, 1903,

I E. M. AMPHLETT.

GAME 0]? TABLE OR PARLOR CRICKET. APPLICATION FILED MAY 9, m2.

N0 MODEL.

Patented May 19, 1963.

NITED STATES EDGAR MONTAGUE AMPHLETT, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

GAME OF TABL'E OR PARLOR CRICKET.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 728,187, dated May 19, 1903.

Application filed May 9, 1902. serial No. 166,612. (No model.)

T at whom it may concern: base-board a. The horizontal hinged leverl Be it known that I, EDGAR MONTAGUE AM- PHLETT, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 13 Fairholme road, West Kensington, London, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Games of Table or Parlor Cricket; and Ihcreby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such' as'w'ill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

The object of this invention is to provide means whereby the individual skill of the players can be exercised in a manner somewhat similar to thatwhichobtains on the ordinary cricket-field. means of mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows in perspective apparatus constructed and arranged according to this invention. Fig. 2 is a detail View of the h'ori zontal lever, hereinafter referred to; and Fig. 3 is a central section of the bridge or plat: form for mounting the wicket, hereinafter described in detail.

Similar letters relate to similar parts throughout the several views.

Fig. 1 shows in perspective apparatus con: structed and arranged according to this invention, in which or represents the movable base-board, with the figure of a batsman b at tached thereto by means of the detachable angle-piece o and the thumb-screw d. The plunger rod or bolt e is held in an upright position by the angle-brackets'fieach of the said angle-brackets being secured to the rear of the batsman by means of the screws f. The coiled spring 9 is supported by the collar-piece h, the said collar-piece being held in position by the cotter-pin h. Hinged to the lower angle-bracket and suitably pivoted is the bell-crank lever 7;, upon the upper or curved arm of which the plunger rod or bolt e presses and to the lower or straight arm of which the upper end of the, batj is secured by means of the screws j. The lower end of the bat j engages'with the turned-up or pawl portion of the horizontal hinged lever Z, carried within the longitudinal slot min the movable I attain this object by is supported by the pin '11, passing beneath it through the base-board, and is given free movement for the purpose of releasing the bat by the necessarypivotsor fulcrums' n. The batj is released bypressure in the-direction indicated by the arrow upon the inclined portion or finger-resto of the horizontal hinged lever Z. The bat being thus disengaged from the turned-up or pawl portion Z6 of the horizontal hinged lever Z, the'plunger rod or bolt 6, aided by the coiled spring g, causes the bell-crank leverc' to move in the direction indicated by the arrow and the bat to assume the positionshown in tlie dotted lines 10. To allow the bat unrestricted movement, so as to enable it to assume the position shown in the dotted lines p, and also to give free passage of the ball to the wicket if itisrhis'sed by the bat, the movable base-board a is cut away to a knife-edge at the portion q. The horizontal hinged lever Z returns to its normal position by reason of the springr when pressure is removed from the inclined portion or which may be tipped with metal for its better engagement with the turned-up or pawl pore -tion is, may now be returned to the normal play position. It will be noted that the movable base-board a has free movement beneath the bridge or platform 3, carrying the stumps and bails or wicket, the ends of the said bridge or platform being secured to the suitably-weighted feet 15 for the purpose of preventing the too easy movement thereof.

The stumps are held in position on the bridge or platform 8 by their being placed in socketholes a, Fig. 3. Immediately in front of the bridge or platform sis the guard-rail o, of any suitable material, to prevent the ball when missed by the bat from striking against the front of the bridge or'platform son either side of the wicket and causing'the bails to fall 0E by reason of the vibration thus'set up. The bails should be placed somewhat firmly in deep grooves to diminish the chances of their being dislodged by vibration when the ball strikes the top of the bridge or platform 8 or by the reduced vibration when it strikes the guard-rail. That portion of the guardrail 1; which is immediately in front of the may be disposed longitudinally or diagonally upon a suitable table to form a miniature pitch and the bridge or platform carrying the wicket may be arranged on and at right angles thereto and the movable base-board and attached batsman placed in position beneath the said bridge or platform, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. If now a player conveniently grasps the end marked B of the movable base-board a, and places a finger on the inclined portion or finger-rest 0 of the horizontal hinged lever l, he will be able to release the batj at will and to have unrestricted movement of the movable base-board a within the limits of the feet 1' for the purpose of defending his wicketthat is to say, for example, the figure of a batsman may be moved forward or to the right or to the left, according to the direction of the ball bowled, and at the desired moment the bat may be released by pressure on the inclined portion or fingerrest o.

Acelluloid ball of suitable dimensions may be used in the game.

The bowler may stand at a prescribed distance from the wicket and the players who field may be stationed around the table in positions somewhat similar to those which obtain in the ordinary cricketfield. The batsman may be bowled or caught out, and runs may be scored by hitting the ball with the bat onto the floor or ground or against a wall or other boundary agreed upon.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a game of table or parlor cricket; the combination of the figure of a batsman and the bat with the plunger rod or bolt; the bellcrank lever, having a suitably-curved upper arm and a straight lower arm; the anglebrackets, secured to the rear of the batsman and holding the said plunger rod or bolt in an upright position; and the coiled spring and collar-piece, embracing the plunger rod or bolt and providing the necessary propelling force; the said bell-crank lever being suitably pivoted to the lower angle-bracket, the said plunger rod or bolt pressing upon its curved or upper arm, and the bat secured to its straight or lower arm.

2. 'In a game of table or parlor cricket, the combination of the figure of a batsman and the mechanically-propelled bat with the movable base-board, having the longitudinal slot to receive the horizontal hinged lever, one end of the said movable base-board being shaped to be conveniently held by a player and at the other end there being one portion provided with means for mounting the figure and another portion cut away to a knife-edge to give free passage to the bat; the horizontal hinged lever, pivoted in the longitudinal slot of the said movable base-board, one end of the said horizontal hinged lever being turned up to form a catch or pawl for the purpose of retaining the bat, and the other end inclined to form a finger-rest; the spring for supporting the finger-rest and returning the said horizontal hinged lever to its original position when pressure is removed from the finger-rest; and the bridge for mounting the stumps, or wicket, and guard-rail; the said movable base board being an apparatus whereby the said figure of a batsman may be moved in any direction necessary for the purpose of meeting the ball, and the said horizontal hinged lever being means whereby the said mechanically-propelled bat may be held in the normal play position in opposition to the pressure exerted by the mechanism and whereby the said bat may be released at the will of the player operating the said movable base-board so as to allow the said bat to fly forward and strike the ball simultaneously with the movement in any direction of the said movable baseboard and the figure mounted thereon.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDGAR MONTAGUE AMIllLET'l.

W i tn esses GRAHAM TOLWARDIN, FRANK WADSWORTH. 

